LIFE AS IT IS

By the time a young gamer reaches his fifteenth birthday, he has already killed thousands of his so-called enemies. Even though he kills all of them virtually, he still feels the adrenaline flowing through his blood every time he makes a kill. His young brain derives pleasure from wiping people off the face of the earth, on a digital screen. When he fires his AK-47 or Colt CM901, his pupils dilate; his heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure increase every time he slays. And even though he slays people day after day, he is never punished for the brutality he commits. In fact, he is rewarded with points. He also moves to the next level of the game! The Daily Star link August 9, 2016 Video gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry. According to Newzoo, a global leader in games, e-sports and mobile intelligence, the worldwide revenue of the gaming industry is expected to reach 107 billion in 2017.  But children's access to violent video games is a debatable subject ...

There was a time when I really wanted to be a grownup, but that was some two decades ago. After I entered my 30s, the idea that I was ageing suddenly sunk in. I compared my old photos with my then-recent ones and realized that a decade had gone by while I was busy finishing college, working full-time, getting married and becoming a parent. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see a mature face -- I see blooming white hair here and there on my head. No matter how much we talk about graceful ageing, the idea of witnessing one's hair turn gray can actually be depressing. My hairline receded a good half-inch in the last 10 years. I can foresee it receding by another couple of inches in the next few decades, permitting I live another few decades. My thick hair is thinning with age. Every time I make a ponytail, I can feel the reduced volume. I often check in the mirror if I am developing laugh lines, a term that I was not aware of even a year ago. You see my vocabulary is gett...